Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a presidential hopeful on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described the recent killings in Woro community, Kwara State, as evidence of a collapse in rural security, calling for an international probe by the United Nations. He urged the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to investigate the incident, insisting that Nigerians deserve answers over claims that intelligence warnings about the attack were ignored.
In a statement issued yesterday, Olawepo-Hashim said the scale and brutality of the attack go beyond what condolences can address, warning that Nigeria risks sliding into an era of mass killings without timely or effective state response. He noted that the tragedy highlighted how vulnerable rural communities have become, with attackers allegedly able to kill nearly 200 people without resistance.
The PDP chieftain questioned the absence of aerial intervention during the attack, dismissing explanations that Woro was too remote to access. He cited the proximity of Nigerian Air Force assets along the Wawa–New Bussa axis and asked why no emergency air support was deployed despite the village being within a short flight distance.
Olawepo-Hashim also criticised what he described as inconsistencies in military responsiveness, recalling Nigeria’s past interventions in regional conflicts and even rescue operations beyond its borders. He said it was troubling that security agencies reportedly arrived only after the attackers had fled, despite prior threats and alerts during the assault.
Warning of broader consequences, he said repeated delays in security response are eroding public trust and could push communities toward self-help measures and instability. Olawepo-Hashim called for a detailed operational account from security agencies and urged reforms to strengthen rural protection, stressing that the Woro killings should be treated as a warning sign of growing insecurity across the North Central region.
